Photo property of NewinNippon
"Recognized as one of Japan’s Three Big Fire Festivals, the Aomori Nebuta Festival is renowned internationally and is designated as a significant intangible folk cultural asset of Japan."
Photo property of NewinNippon
"During the festival, more than twenty large nebutas – large lantern floats decorated with human figures – are wheeled along the parade route in the city of Aomori. Ahead of each float, Nebuta dancers called haneto dance wildly to the hayashi music of the Nebuta Festival,making the summer night festival lively and exciting. The fantastic view of lantern-lit floats and the dancers’ shouts of “rasse rasse” are overwhelming. It certainly is a genuine fire festival of Japan."
Photo property of NewinNippon
"The story goes that the Aomori Nebuta Festival originates in the purification rite of toro-nagashi (the placement of lantern offerings on the water), performed during the Tanabata Festival (the Star Festival of July 7) at many places in Japan. Some documents describe the first Nebuta as a giant lantern 360 cm on each sides that was created in the Muromachi era by the feudal lord Tsugaru Tamenobu to surprise people in Kyoto during the Lantern Festival, an event to welcome the spirits of departed ancestors."
Photo property of NewinNippon
"During the festival, more than twenty large nebutas – large lantern floats decorated with human figures – are wheeled along the parade route in the city of Aomori. Ahead of each float, Nebuta dancers called haneto dance wildly to the hayashi music of the Nebuta Festival,making the summer night festival lively and exciting. The fantastic view of lantern-lit floats and the dancers’ shouts of “rasse rasse” are overwhelming. It certainly is a genuine fire festival of Japan.
Photo property of NewinNippon
"Candles for lighting lanterns were replaced by electricity, and wire is now used instead of bamboo for lantern frames.
Since 1980, when the Aomori Nebuta Festival was designated a significant intangible folk cultural asset of Japan, the event has been recognized around the world as characterizing Japanese festivals.
Nebuta attracted world attention in 2001 when the British Museum in London featured it in a special exhibition."
(Source: Aomori Nebuta Festival website)
Photo property of NewinNippon
The Aomori Nebuta Festival attracts as many as 3 million tourists a year."
Photo property of NewinNippon
Photo property of NewinNippon
Here are some interesting statistics from Apinet, the Aomori tourism website.
Size: A float is placed on a wheeled platform (approx. 2 meters high) with an overall size of 5 meters high, 9 meters wide, 7 meters deep and weighing 4 tons
Number of light bulbs used: 600-800
Time needed to make a float: Approximately 3 months
Haneto (dancers) participating for every one Nebuta float: Approx. 2,000
Click here to visit the official Aomori Nebuta website.
Posting Komentar